June 29, 2012

• Lazy Summer Day

  In the aftermath of the freakish storm earlier this week, the suburban kids have gotten an unexpected early summer vacation treat. Trees that were too weak to climb when they were upright (and subsequently to withstand the storm) are so much more fun when they are toppled over across manicured lawns for horizontal climbing. Sad, but true. They have been having the most fun on a weeping willow that was uprooted in someone’s front lawn. They even claim to have “bungee jumped off the top of it” – which most certainly sounds more perilous than it was in reality. 

  Boo Radley Mom (aka me) started the day by asking the kids what they wanted to do today, and then preparing to hear all the different ways that their desires would lead to my skin revolting with welts and rashes. It’s supposed to get to 100 today, so I figured all the requests would be for pool and beach and water parks, etc. The first two requests were indoors – ice skating and roller skating. I should have been thrilled! But, eh – who wants to ice skate in the summer? And the daycares hit the roller rink during the day, meaning there is a crowd of under supervised kids flailing on wheels and crashing into others all day long. Also not my idea of fun. I encouraged the kids to add to the list.

  “I’m guessing we can’t go to Water Country?” asked our son. Correct.

  “How about the pool?” That was our daughter, who is usually the one asking to leave the pool, so I was surprised. And of course, our usual pool lover (the boy) said he didn’t want to go. And even though I would love nothing more than a stay-at-the-pool-for-fun-all-day kind of day, my skin would not like that. UGH!

  Their next idea was something that they both wanted to do. (Miracle in itself.) They wanted to go to the store and get water balloons and have their neighborhood friends come play with those on our lawn. Cheap, easy, and close to the house, where Mommy can be shaded, use the treadmill, do laundry (YAY!), and read the new book she is one chapter into and already totally hooked. (Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn)

  When we came back from the store with water balloons in tow, they both let out a disappointed, “Awwwwwww!” in unison, as they heard and saw the giant horizontal weeping willow tree being hacked into pieces and towed away. Good thing they have water balloons to ease the pain! They are filling them up now, and I hear at least one voice of a friend, so perhaps they will have some fun out there. I wonder how long it will last. (I think I’ll consider it a success if it lasts longer than the outing to buy the water balloons in the first place.)

  So, about that book. And books in general. I am a library hoarder. I am simply incapable of going into the library without leaving with at least one book, even if I already have a stack of books to read that are rapidly approaching their due date. At least I don’t do this at bookstores – that would be way more expensive. I also hoard books virtually, by constantly adding to my online list of books to read — they get added at a much faster rate than I can read them. And then I pick up books not even on the list and read those. What a reading rebel! 

  Anyway, I wanted to read Gone Girl, but when I went on the library website, I saw that it had something like 140 holds placed on it already. And there were only about 4 copies that could even be reserved – the rest were two week “lease books” – first come, first serve. Guess who scored a lease book copy yesterday? It wasn’t even shelved in the right place, and I found it! I just know that other people had given up on that book, seeing that it was “available” in the catalog but not finding it on the shelf. Not me! I’m such a bad ass.

  I’ll do a summer reading book blog soon. So I can share my bad assness with you and perhaps inspire you to a hoard a book or two yourself. Oh, and feel free to leave recommendations – this hoarder is always looking to add more to the list.

  EDITED TO ADD: As soon as I posted this, the whining began. “He’s stealing all the balloons!” and “She won’t let me fill up any balloons!” The friends are adding to the drama instead of distracting the siblings from one another. Shoot me.

   

   

  • 11:39 am
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